Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a separator for separating an air-solids-liquid mixture in a dental suction apparatus, whereby the suction apparatus has a suction pump, a suction nozzle aspirating the mixture from the mouth of a patient, and a suction line extending between the suction nozzle and the suction pump, which suction line is divided into two segments by the separator, with an air separation chamber connectible to the first segment of the suction line and provided with deflection surfaces, which air separation chamber is provided with a clean air outlet connectible to the second segment of the suction line and an outlet for the separated mixture, with a separation device for solid matter assigned to the mixture outlet, which separation device has a removable sedimentation container and a clean liquid outlet, and with a device for feeding the clean liquid into the second segment of the suction line which has an intermediate container connected with the clean liquid outlet.
Separators of this kind are for instance needed in dentist's processing systems when the central suction pump is formed by a liquid seal pump, which requires a feed of liquid for equalizing losses in the water ring, or when the separator is to be integrated into an existing system, the suction pump of which has a suction air-liquid separator connected upstream thereof whose functionality must be retained. A separator which is suitable for this and which may also have a centrifuge for solid matter separation, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,971, whereby the intermediate container collecting the clean liquid and sedimenting possibly remaining solid matter, and the supply device for clean liquid which, in particular, has a Venturi pipe, is shown in the second segment of the suction line essentially schematically at an arbitrary location.